Commentary

by Rep. Antonio Parkinson -- The recent tragedy involving Tyre Nichols has been weighing on my mind. I’ve seen too many stories in the last several years about African Americans unjustly murdered by police. You can recite the names as well as...
by Dr. Bobbie Shaw-Hunter -- At Churches-Families And Communities Together (C-FACT) National Training Institute, research-based, cultural, and family engagement approaches are used to address the multiple factors that impact youth violence and promote positive youth development and well-being. As executive director,...
by Charlie Caswell Jr. -- It is no secret we have an epidemic of youth violence shifting to a pandemic. This is the case I have been sharing for more than seven years, as I have worked with many stakeholders to...
I know, I’m an education columnist. So, what does the “Monday Night Football” game between the NFL’s Buffalo Bills and Cincinnati Bengals have to do with public education? The answer: nothing! However, I consider myself fortunate to have played the...
All of this is true about Gangsta Boo: A “Queen” of Memphis. A hip-hop legend. A pioneer of female rap. The first lady of the Oscar-winning group, Three 6 Mafia. Riding a beat like no other, she was an incredible...
by Angela Sargent -- It was Sept. 1, and we had been involved in eight weeks of intense professional development. We had been trained on everything from the employee handbook to the school curriculum. Surprisingly, it was the same curriculum we...
Nothing about the year 2022 has been boring as far as k-12 education is concerned.  Quite the contrary, the year has been filled with a continuous stream of drama and excitement.  COVID continues to wreak havoc, the teacher shortage is an...
The search for a new superintendent for Memphis Shelby County Schools (MSCS) seems to be off to a pretty good start. I like the selection process and I love all of the public discourse. Plenty of people have opinions about...
Brittany Holst -- It had been three years since I last took part in a St. Jude Memphis Marathon, so I was happy to join the 20,000 participants this year. On Saturday (Dec. 3), I walked and jogged in the 5k...
by Keith Reid -- As Democrats celebrated Sen. Raphael Warnock’s win over Herschel Walker in the U.S. Senate runoff race last night, my phone lit up with a text that perfectly summarized the outcome: “It took $500 million to have Raphael Warnock win...